Weather Shouldn't Be A Factor For Triathlon On Saturday

TAVARES — While hundreds of athletes from more than a dozen states prepare for Saturday's Class FM Florida Challenge Triathlon in Clermont, they won't have to heed warnings about cold weather.

Temperatures in the low 60s are expected for the 8 a.m. start of the triathlon, which is broken down into a 1.5-mile swim, a 60-mile cycle and a 13.1-mile run. The course begins at Jaycee Beach and runs through six cities and more than 1,000 feet of elevation change.

Gusty winds from the northeast also are expected, making the temperature seem cooler, and there is a slight chance of showers, said Elmer Pingle of the National Weather Service.

''The weather is going to be a little colder than we've been used to, but all that's going to do is pull us down to normal for this time of year,'' Pringle said. ''A couple days ago people were talking about weather in the 30s, but it's not going to happen.''

Gainesville's Donna Wheeler will defend her overall women's title. Wheeler was a top 10 finisher in the 1985 IRONMAN Triathlon in Hawaii.

Bill Carlson, a professional triathlete from California who is a diabetic, will compete. Carlson was the first insulin-dependent triathlete to complete the IRONMAN Triathlon.

After the opening swimming leg in Lake Minneola, the triathletes will wind around more than a dozen lakes in what once was a heavy citrus region. Included in the biking leg is Ferndale Loop, which has a change in elevation of more than 1,000 feet.

The final leg is a 13.1-mile run around Lake Minneola.

The triathlon, which is a qualifier for the 1987 Tri-Fed/USA National Long Course Championships, has 10 age divisions from 15 years old and older. Late registration -- $50 for the Florida Challenge and $90 for the Challenge Relay -- is from noon until 9 p.m. at the Citrus Sun Club, race headquarters, at the junction of U.S. Highway 27 and the Florida Turnpike.

A shorter triathlon has been added to the event this year. The Class FM Florida Challenge Sprint Classic, a 3.1-mile run, a 7.4-mile bike and a quarter-mile swim begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. Late registration is $25.

Ed Root, famed 79-year-old triathlete from Ormond Beach, will not compete. Root pulled a hamstring in a road race on Tuesday and is out of action for three or four months, Root said Thursday.